Mobile Monday DC

MoMoDC warmly thanks Darin Senneff for his in-kind contribution of our logo. Darin does freelance work and you may contact him at dsenneff43 at yahoo dot com.

Hello everyone,

I am very excited to announce the inaugural convening of Mobile Monday DC.

October's MoMoDC event, titled "Hello World through SMS," will introduce attendees to innovations in digital graffiti, which combines text messages, the Internet, and a person's physical location. The potential successes and pitfalls of developing a mobile political strategy will also be discussed. This event is sponsored by SinglePoint.

What: "Hello World through SMS," featuring Stephen Randall, CEO of LocaModa (creators of wiffiti).

When: Monday, October 23rd, 5:30-7:30PM

Where: Science Club (second floor)- 1136 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

Science Club is between L & M Streets. Closest Metro stops include Farragut West (Orange and Blue Lines), Dupont Circle, and Farragut North (Red Line).

Cost: Free and open to the public. Food and drink will be brought to you by SinglePoint Corp. (http://gosinglepoint.com/)

So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

=================
Stephen Randall, CEO of LocaModa

Stephen Randall has been a leading mobile computing entrepreneur for over 15 years. He is founder and chief executive of Boston based LocaModa Inc., a media driven, interactive technology company, dedicated to making the web more local. Prior to LocaModa, he was a founder of Symbian, serving on its Operational Board from 1998 to 2002. Prior to Symbian, Stephen was the architect of Psion PLC's licensing strategy where he restructured the company to form Psion Software, which as Joint President, he helped build into the global licensing business that was spun out to form Symbian. During that period, he also served as the Chairman of The Ambient Computing Working Group, advising the European Parliament on roadmaps for pervasive computing. He was also a founder of pen-based computing company, Eden Group, which was acquired by Geoworks. Before venturing into mobile computing, Stephen had a career in music technology, developing the world's first digital guitar, for which he received a British Design Award from HRH Prince Phillip.
=================

SinglePoint is a simple, powerful way for content owners to create, connect and confirm the delivery of wireless messages to mobile consumers. It combines a proven reliable message delivery service with the leading producer and distributor of branded, made-for-mobile entertainment, interactive TV formats and mobile marketing concepts. Today, SinglePoint is engaged with an audience of more than 220 million mobile users throughout North America working in partnership with mobile network and portal operations, media companies, brand managers and agencies.
=================

Thanks!
- Kathie

We want to first and foremost thank Stephen Randall of LocaModa for his wonderful insight and thought provoking ideas. I for one am excited to see how wireless graffiti takes off here in DC... the use would be particularly interesting in protests and rallies. What do you guys think? Will it impact politics?

MoMoDC would also like to thank Single Point for their sponsorship. We wouldn't have been able to provide free food and drinks without them!

Global MoMo and MoMoNY played a large roll in getting MoMoDC off the ground! Thank you guys for your guidance and support!

Finally, a big thanks to all of last night's attendees! I can tell that we really have a great mobile community here and I expect great things from our chapter. So, keep in touch with ideas, send along suggestions, post comments to this blog, and don't forget to mark your calendars for our next event on November 20th.

Thanks and see you in November!

-Kathie

Related:

MobileMonday DC Launches with Political Program

"Mobile Monday" Hits DC, and Wiffiti is the Guest of Honor!

Mobile Monday Comes to DC

Mobile Monday Comes To DC With Political Programs

Washington Internet Daily Calendar

Mobile is the new Blog

Digital Graffiti as a Social Media/Social Expression Tool

MobileMonday DC launches with political program

Mobile Monday Comes To DC With Political Programs

Hello DC!

The November Mobile Monday DC event will address the topic of Near Field Communications, a short-range wireless technology that makes two-way interactions, such as information exchanges and financial transactions, easier. NFC combines radio frequency identification (RFID) with wireless readers. Unlike Bluetooth or WiFi, NFC-enabled devices do not rely on battery power, and transactions can occur over much shorter distances (a few centimeters compared to 30 to 300 feet).

One industry group, the NFC Forum, estimates that within the next three years, 50 percent of all cell phones will support NFC technology, allowing people to pay for public transportation, sports tickets, and movies through their cell phones.

The speakers for this event, Patrick Hearn of Oberthur Card Sysems and Greg Garback of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, will discuss NFC, RFID and future of digital payment systems.

When: Monday, November 20th, 6:30-8:30PM

Where: Science Club (second floor)- 1136 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

Science Club is between L & M Streets. Closest Metro stops include Farragut West (Orange and Blue Lines), Dupont Circle, and Farragut North (Red Line).

Cost: Free and open to the public. Food provided, courtesy of MoMo DC.
So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

==================
About Patrick Hearn
Patrick W. Hearn is Director of Government Identification Markets for Oberthur Card Systems. He is a member of Oberthur's Executive Committee with specific responsibility for sales/marketing for all identification initiatives, government relations and lobbying, and product development. He currently oversees projects for Oberthur such as the DoD Common Access Card, HSPD-12, Registered Traveler, Transportation Worker Identity Credential and First Responders. Patrick is a board member of the Volunteer Credential Industry Coalition, a member of the Smart Card Alliance Educational Institute and is a frequent speaker for Oberthur in identity related issues in the North and Central America for the media.

About Greg Garback
Greg Garback serves as the Executive Officer of the Department of Finance for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA or Metro) in Washington, DC. He has served in this capacity for over seven years coming from twelve years of design and construction management experience on expansion of the Metrorail system in the Washington region.

Among many finance-based responsibilities, Greg was the initial program executive for deploying SmarTrip®, the Authority's contactless smart card now used as an alternative form of payment for rail and bus system fares and parking lot fees. SmarTrip® was launched in May 1999 with the objective of providing utility and convenience to its customers and now has 1,800,000 cards in the field. Greg's current focus on SmarTrip® is to strategically expand the multi-application concept for smart cards working with financial institutions to change the payment paradigm for transit and lay the ground work for transitioning from card-issuing organizations to card-accepting merchants. WMATA continues to lead the expansion based on SmarTrip® as the multi-operator, multi-modal fare media for regional the bus and commuter rail systems in the near future.

Greg currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Smart Card Alliance and is the immediate past co-chair of the Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council. Further, Greg performs peer reviews for the transit industry in the U.S. and abroad, assisting agencies in the planning and deployment phases of smart card based systems; serves on several committees within the American Public Transportation Association in roles focused on advanced payment systems and technologies; serves on the federal government Inter-agency Advisory Board (IAB); and, serves as the co-chair of the Electronic Payment Systems task force for the I-95 Corridor Coalition.

See you there!
Kathie

Related:

Chatting about Near Field Communications at Mobile Monday DC

Hey DC, help text in the holidays with our Demo December.

The December Mobile Monday DC event will give attendees a hands-on demo of innovative new phones from Nokia, one of the worldwide leaders in the mobile phone industry. Some of them have been the stuff of rumors on the blogosphere. Others may have already made their way into the pockets of your friends and business associates abroad. A few already have cult followings. Most have never been seen on this side of the Atlantic.

The speaker for this event, William Plummer of Nokia, will introduce the new, innovative, and trendy new phones for the season. He'll also attempt to answer the age-old question "Why does my cousin in Europe have a cooler phone than I do?"

When: Monday, December 18th, 6:30-8:30PM

Where: Science Club (second floor)- 1136 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

Science Club is between L & M Streets. Closest Metro stops include Farragut West (Orange and Blue Lines), Dupont Circle, and Farragut North (Red Line).

Cost: Free and open to the public. Food provided, courtesy of MoMo DC.
So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

==================
About William Plummer
Bill Plummer joined Nokia in May of 1997. Since January 2004 he has served as Nokia's Vice President, External Affairs, responsible for Corporate Communications and Government and Industry Relations activities in North America. From June 2002 through January 2004, Bill was Nokia's Vice President of Strategic & External Affairs, responsible for strategic corporate planning and execution in the Americas. Prior to June 2002, Bill was Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs, acting as Nokia's lead representative to the U.S. Government and coordinating Nokia's interaction with national and international industry associations.

Prior to joining Nokia, Bill served from 1990 through 1997 as a career officer in the United States Foreign Service, with positions in the Office of the Under Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs, the Office of Multilateral Trade, and the U.S. diplomatic mission to the Republic of Ecuador. Before joining the State Department, Bill worked as a financial services executive.
==================

Kathie

MoMo is going strong; 36 chapters, 3 coming soon, and 15 in the works. Let us know if you want a MoMo started in your community.

Smile, we're talking about a near and upcoming Monday!

In autumn 2006, the Republican National Committee launched a text messaging campaign designed to drive its core supporters to the RNC Website to gather information, make a donations, and take action. How successful was the RNC's foray into mobile politics? What lessons did they learn from the field? How is text messaging being absorbed into politics?

The speaker for this event, Patrick Ruffini of the RNC, will discuss lessons learned from the RNC's 2006 text messaging campaign on January 15th, 2007. Please register for the event here: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

WHEN: Monday, January 15, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m
SPEAKER: Patrick Ruffini, Republican National Committee and Mike Connell, Connell Donatelli Inc.

WHERE: Science Club DC(second Floor)
1136 19th Street NW Washington DC 20036

Farragut West Metro (Orange and Blue Lines), and Farragut North Metro or Dupont Circle Metro (Red Line)

COST: The event is free to the public. Members of the media are welcome to attend the event.

SPONSOR: This event is sponsored by Connell Donatelli Inc and Anthony Garrett & Associates.

RSVP: So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

===============
Patrick Ruffini
Ruffini was Webmaster for the Bush-Cheney '04 presidential campaign, where he was responsible for day-to-day Web site operations, designing creatives to crisply communicate the President's message and developing special features surrounding major events like the Conventions and Presidential debates. Ruffini also designed and served as chief writer for the campaign's official blog and managed the campaign's outreach to the blog community.

Prior to arriving at the campaign, Ruffini maintained a political blog which launched in July 2001, back when such sites were still known as "me-zines." His commentary has appeared on Web sites ranging from National Review Online to FoxNews.com.

Ruffini graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 2000 with a B.A. in Diplomatic History and Political Science.

Mike Connell

Mike Connell is president of New Media Communications and a partner in the online advertising firm Connell Donatelli Inc. Mike is recognized internationally as a pioneer in the field of online politics. His clients include the Republican National Committee, the Bush-Cheney campaigns of 2000 and 2004, the National Rifle Association, USAID, the Republican Governors Association and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Connell advises international leaders and provides online strategy to help emerging democracies around the globe.
===============
See you there!

Kathie

via Colin Delany, e.politics.com

January's Mobile Monday meeting in D.C. featured a fascinating presentation on Republican employment of cell phones and SMS text messaging in the 2006 elections, with a lot more detail than we're usually able to get about on-the-ground use of this new (to the U.S.) political tool. Patrick Ruffini of the RNC discussed the committee's use of text and mobile video to inform and motivate supporters, and Mike Connell of Connell Donatelli went into great depth about the DeVos campaign for Michigan governor's foray into the world of mobile advocacy.

Patrick began the presentation with the RNC, which gathered "a few thousand" mobile activists as a start to building a 2008 election list by encouraging them to text a join message to a designated short code. The committee saw cell phones as a new channel to reach supporters with timely, topical messages, particularly as a supplement to more traditional email campaigns. The RNC could boost email open rates, for instance, by texting supporters that they had a particularly important note waiting for them while at the same time reinforcing the communications theme of the day. They found that they got more bang for the buck with SMS than with emails, since recipients were much less likely to ignore a text message (an effect that may diminish as text messages' novelty fades). Not surprisingly, text messages were particularly useful for day-before and day-of Get Out The Vote efforts.

The RNC also went beyond text in 2006, rolling out a mobile-friendly find-your-polling-place website. Looking further ahead, Patrick talked about the potential of the mobile web to deliver a rich media experience to activists wherever they are, and also pointed out the potential of mobile phone banking, with volunteers being able to enter response data from calls as they make them for a faster and smarter response.

Returning to the U.S., Mike talked about his company's work with the DeVos campaign in Michigan, where they rolled out a comprehensive mobile campaign to reinforce the candidate's desire to present himself as a cutting-edge leader. They used online advertising and a create-a-video contest (which also generated free media coverage) to drive supporters to a site where they could "Learn more on the go" by surrendering their cell numbers, as well as forward information to a friend via email, download wallpapers and screensavers and of course make a donation. The campaign also created a phone-friendly version of the site on the .mobi domain and employed some multimedia, including a 15-second GOTV message that also got local TV pickup and some national exposure. Mike was reluctant to divulge exactly how many people actually signed up to receive mobile messages, however.

Some lessons from the DeVos effort:

• Cell technology is still on the bleeding edge. Some strategies worked, others turned into a nightmare.
  
• Get a short code early! It can take some time.
  
• Commercial MMS tools are in their infancy. The campaign ended up having to build much of its own technology.
  
• Phone companies go to great lengths to stop spam. They tend to err on the side of caution, and your legitimate messages can get stopped.
  
• Phone-based donations can be a problem. Roughly half of each donation is siphoned-off by the providers, and a quirk in the DeVos campaign's setup prevented them from collecting money at all.
  
• Campaigns must understand the personal nature of mobile media. Cell phones are on your hip or in your pocket, and users are careful about whom they allow to intrude on such an immediate part of their lives. Don't abuse their trust -- be considerate in what you send.
  
• Make it easy for people to opt-in to your campaign. Just as with URLs, feature your "Text JOIN to [short code]" message EVERYWHERE, including print pieces, websites, email messages, events, press appearances, etc. Never miss a chance to recruit, and make sure that the joining process doesn't have unnecessary hiccups that will cut your numbers.
  

• The need to think beyond SMS and MMS, though there are limits to what providers will allow in the U.S., which leads to...
  
• The fact that the U.S. is far from the cutting edge of mobile technology. We should watch the rest of the world for innovations.
  
• Some other points that emerged from the question-and-answer session that followed the formal presentations:
  
• As with online video, campaigns must make mobile content that people WANT to consume. Viral spread can lead to mass media pickup.
  
• Campaigns need to make sure that supporters know about any fees that may apply to their participation in the campaign. Unexpected charges = bad publicity.
  
• Besides its employment in electoral campaigns, we'll see more and more use of mobile technology in the advocacy sphere, including "click-to-call-your-legislator" campaigns.
  
• Comitted activists are most likely to give cell numbers, not swing voters. Texting the uncommitted may matter more in primary elections, however.
  
• On a related note, mobile technology is most effective at activating volunteers to be more involved, not as a persuasive tool.
  
• It's also more likely to reach young voters, though this is likely to change as more people switch over to using a cell as their primary phone.
  

-Colin Delany, e.politics.com

Related:

Republican Mobile Activism in the 2006 Elections

MOMODC EVENT: THE ELEPHANTS GO TEXTING ONE BY ONE. HURRAH. HURRAH

Patrick Ruffini Speaking at Mobile Monday DC

Rave Wireless has been nominated by the MobileMonday DC Chapter to compete in the 2007 Global Peer Awards in Barcelona, Spain.

Rodger Desai, president and chief executive officer of Rave Wireless, will be presenting at the company's many innovative services created for the youth of America. One feature service for colleges and university includes Rave Guardian. Rave Guardian is a mobile phone application available to students to use if and when they want. A student who feels unsafe can simply activate a timer on the mobile phone that alerts campus safety if it is not turned off within a set period of time. If the alarm goes off, campus safety will call the phone to ensure everything is all right. In the scenarios where there is no answer of there is a problem, Rave Guardian instantly displays the student's location along with any other pertinent information, such as medical conditions, photograph and local address. Since Rave Guardian uses the same GPS technologies as E911 emergency centers, students can use it on- or off-campus and anywhere in the U.S.

Global Peer Awards 2007 is a competition open to the best-in- breed start-ups who have demonstrated exceptionally innovative mobile technologies. Previously selected by MobileMonday local chapters, the companies will compete live before the community and a world-class jury to win the MobileMonday Global Peer Award title.

Among all the finalists three awards will be given: the 'Expert Jury Award' - sponsored by Reitek - will be assigned by the expert to the first global winner, the 'Audience Award' will be given by the audience to the second winner once the live SMS voting round is closed, while the 'MoMo Community Award' will be assigned by the MobileMonday chapter organizers to the third and final one.

Get your official MoMoDC gear here, in our new store!

The Global Peer Award Winner - Jury Favourite - REALEYES3D
The Global Peer Award Winner - Audience Favourite - PLAZES
The Global Peer Award Winner - Community Favourite - MOBILE COMPLETE

Believe it or not, network neutrality doesn't just affect your Internet connection. It can also affect your cell phone. As is often the case for any policy debate, there are two sides to every story:

Customers: It is frustrating for customers when they see a new phone, like the iPhone, but they are unable to purchase them because it is not supported on their carrier. They must either switch carriers or buy a different phone.

Networks: After spending millions and millions of dollars building their network, is it fair to force a carrier to open itself up to phones it does not support and that may compromise its network?

Join the debate and hear what the experts have to say this month at MobileMonday DC. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of opening up wireless networks and making them neutral.

EVENT: Mobile Monday DC (http://www.mobilemonday-dc.com/), the local chapter of a global movement of technology professionals, announces its February event, "Breaking Down the Walled Garden" on the pros and cons of Wireless Network Neutrality.

WHEN: Monday, February 26, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Science Club DC
1136 19th Street NW Washington DC 20036

Farragut West Metro (Orange and Blue Lines), and Farragut North Metro or Dupont Circle Metro (Red Line)

COST: The event is free to the public. Members of the media are welcome to attend the event.

SPEAKERS: Mike Altschul, CTIA
and Alex Curtis, Public Knowledge

RSVP: So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

SPONSOR: The first round of drinks is on the Science Club, our gracious host. (and just a little interesting fact about them... they have Wifi, so feel free to bring your Macs, PCs, or WiFi cabable phones).

__________

About Michael Altschul
Senior Vice President & General Counsel, CTIA

Altschul joined CTIA in 1990 after serving with the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice. Prior to that, he began his legal career as an attorney specializing in antitrust litigation with Simpson Thacher Bartlett in New York City.
As CTIA's General Counsel, Altschul is responsible for the Association's legal advocacy, CTIA's compliance with antitrust and other applicable laws, and he is an active participant in the development of the Association's public policy positions.

About Alex Curtis
Director of Policy and New Media for Public Knowledge

Alex Curtis is Director of Policy and New Media for Public Knowledge (aka PK), a Washington, DC based public interest organization that works on behalf of consumers and innovators at the intersection of copyright, telecommunications, and information policy. Before finding PK, Alex worked on Capitol Hill for United States Senators Mike DeWine and George V. Voinovich -- making DeWine the second U.S. Senator on the Internet by one day. He worked on legislative issues such as Broadband, Digital Online Music, and Open Access to cable networks, while at the Antitrust Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Alex graduated from Wake Forest University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He later earned his Juris Doctorate in 2001 from the University of Akron School of Law, where he focused on intellectual property.

The policy issues that PK is currently working on in telecommunications include net neutrality, repurposing of spectrum "white-spaces" for licensed and unlicensed use, and promoting broadband deployment. PK's intends to promote a positive copyright agenda in the 110th Congress, focusing on at least two key issues: orphan works and fair use limitations on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Voting protection and integrity have come into question in past elections. We will never forget Florida in 2000 and the hanging chads debate. Working Assets took steps to protect voters from the same type of fiasco in 2006 through its Protect the Election initiative.

Working Assets asked volunteers to sign up to receive text messages on Election Day if an urgent issue arose in their geographical area. Volunteers were then prompted to take an action, such as a phone call.

EVENT: "Protecting Voting Rights One Text at a Time," a case study on how Working Assets used text messaging in the last election cycle.

WHEN: Monday, March 19, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Science Club DC
1136 19th Street NW Washington DC 20036

Farragut West Metro (Orange and Blue Lines), and Farragut North Metro or Dupont Circle Metro (Red Line)

COST: The event is free to the public. Members of the media are welcome to attend the event. Food and drink will be brought to you by Working Assets and the Science Club.

SPEAKERS: Becky Bond and Dan Droller from Working Assets and Jed Alpert from the Rights-Group.

RSVP: So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

SPONSOR: The first round of drinks is on the Science Club, our gracious host and food and drinks after that by Working Assets.

__________

About Beck Bond

Becky Bond is creative producer at Working Assets, a powerful citizen
action group and progressive mobile phone company that has raised over
$50 million for progressive causes since 1985. In 2006, she helped
launch Working Assets Mobile Action which enabled thousands of concerned
citizens to volunteer to protect the election using their mobile phones.
Becky leads Working Assets' nonpartisan civic engagement efforts and
online activism programs including a successful effort to register 1
million voters before the 2004 election and an online voter registration
program that has helped almost 500,000 people complete voter
registration forms via the Web since 2003. Becky has also launched
several media properties for Working Assets including a daily public
radio program and the progressive news site, WorkingForChange.com.

Dan Droller

Dan Droller manages mobile phone content for Working Assets, a
progressive mobile phone company that has raised over $50 million for
progressive causes since 1985. In addition to running the Working Assets
Mobile Action program, where citizens can use text messaging to effect
social change, Dan created the Working Assets Wireless ringtone store,
manages the home deck for all Working Assets Wireless phones, and helps
faciliate text programs for various non-profits partners. He is also the
co-founder of Music for America, a cultural organizing group founded in
the 2004 election to get young people involved in politics through
music. In addition to co-running MFA, he directed the music department
which held over 4000 concerts with over 300 artists over 3 years.

__________

See you there!
-Kathie

If you think your campus is wired, think again. It's 2007. And campus Wi-Fi, a land line in your dorm room, e-mail alerts are so late-90s. What if you could access all of your campus essentials - course outlines, campus directory, email, campus security, etc. - from your cell phone?

Rave Wireless develops a variety of programs and applications for colleges and universities. The event speaker, Raju Rishi, will discuss how students, campus groups, professors - and even campus security - can use mobile phones to make your college campus a more wired, safer place. Some of those programs include:

• A GPS-based application that enables students, faculty and staff to view the exact location of campus shuttle busses right on their mobile phone. No more waiting in the rain and snow, no more wondering if there's time to grab that cup of coffee before the bus arrives.
• Targeted blast text messages (e.g., safety alerts for a specific residence hall)
• University-created groups where members can participate in group text messaging and polls (e.g., Chess Club)
• Faculty-created groups (e.g., Chemistry 201) that enable students, faculty and staff to view course alerts on their mobile phones, so they never miss a course announcement, even when they are on-the-go. These groups also allow faculty to integrate survey questions into their lectures, to which the students can text message a response in class - those responses are automatically tabulated and provided as a web page for faculty member to display results real-time in class
• Student-created groups (e.g., road trip to the Final Four).
• School email on the phone.
• Student and staff directory.

EVENT: "Let Them Have Mobile Phones," a look at how Rave Wireless is using mobile phones to improve student affairs, campus housing, and academic coursework.

WHEN: Monday, April 16, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: GWU's Marvin Center, Room 309
800 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052 - Click here for a campus map

COST: The event is free to the public. Members of the media are welcome to attend the event.

SPEAKERS: Raju Rishi, COO co-founder, Rave Wireless

RSVP: So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

SPONSORS: GW's Student Association, Daily Colonial, & Rave Wireless

--------
About Raju Rishi

Raju Rishi co-founded Rave Wireless in 2004 to unlock the potential of the mobile phone as a community-building, academic and safety tool for higher education. Raju leverages his knowledge of the complex relationships between wireless carriers, content providers, application providers and consumers gained over a career in telecommunications. His previous experiences include EVP Product Management & Strategy of Vettro and executive roles at Avaya/Lucent/AT&T, where he was responsible for architecture, international R&D, product management, sales, and marketing for mobility & IP products. Raju is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, three children and two dogs.
--------

Cheers,
Kathie

Hello everyone,

I am very excited to announce the inaugural convening of Mobile Monday DC.

October's MoMoDC event, titled "Hello World through SMS," will introduce attendees to innovations in digital graffiti, which combines text messages, the Internet, and a person's physical location. The potential successes and pitfalls of developing a mobile political strategy will also be discussed. This event is sponsored by SinglePoint.

What: "Hello World through SMS," featuring Stephen Randall, CEO of LocaModa (creators of wiffiti).

When: Monday, October 23rd, 5:30-7:30PM

Where: Science Club (second floor)- 1136 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

Science Club is between L & M Streets. Closest Metro stops include Farragut West (Orange and Blue Lines), Dupont Circle, and Farragut North (Red Line).

Cost: Free and open to the public. Food and drink will be brought to you by SinglePoint Corp. (http://gosinglepoint.com/)

So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

=================
Stephen Randall, CEO of LocaModa

Stephen Randall has been a leading mobile computing entrepreneur for over 15 years. He is founder and chief executive of Boston based LocaModa Inc., a media driven, interactive technology company, dedicated to making the web more local. Prior to LocaModa, he was a founder of Symbian, serving on its Operational Board from 1998 to 2002. Prior to Symbian, Stephen was the architect of Psion PLC's licensing strategy where he restructured the company to form Psion Software, which as Joint President, he helped build into the global licensing business that was spun out to form Symbian. During that period, he also served as the Chairman of The Ambient Computing Working Group, advising the European Parliament on roadmaps for pervasive computing. He was also a founder of pen-based computing company, Eden Group, which was acquired by Geoworks. Before venturing into mobile computing, Stephen had a career in music technology, developing the world's first digital guitar, for which he received a British Design Award from HRH Prince Phillip.
=================

SinglePoint is a simple, powerful way for content owners to create, connect and confirm the delivery of wireless messages to mobile consumers. It combines a proven reliable message delivery service with the leading producer and distributor of branded, made-for-mobile entertainment, interactive TV formats and mobile marketing concepts. Today, SinglePoint is engaged with an audience of more than 220 million mobile users throughout North America working in partnership with mobile network and portal operations, media companies, brand managers and agencies.
=================

Thanks!
- Kathie

MoMoDC warmly thanks Darin Senneff for his in-kind contribution of our logo. Darin does freelance work and you may contact him at dsenneff43 at yahoo dot com.

It is time to mark your calendars for the 3rd annual MobileMonday Global Summit! The event will take place on 10 September 2007 in Helsinki.

The 3rd annual MobileMonday Global Summit brings together leaders from mobile business on September 10th 2007. Around fifteen hundred participants from around the globe are expected to attend the conference held at the Wanha Satama Fair Center in Helsinki, Finland.

In the same spirit as the monthly MobileMonday meetings held in over 50 hotspots around the world, the MobileMonday Global Summit brings together mobile industry influentials from down the street and around the world.

The program begins with straight talk from some of the best thinkers in the business during the MobileMonday Executive Morning. There will be three main themes: Mobile Music, Mobile Marketing and Social Media.

There is also additional excursion to St. Petersburg, Russia. The local MobileModay Chapter will organize an event for decision makers, who are interested to meet local business leaders. More information coming up on the MobileMonday website soon. Stay tuned for the list of keynote speakers and panelist.

According to Telephia, "digital consumers" spend $350 billion each year on devices, content, and connectivity. Who are they? What are they using? Jerry Rocha of Telephia, will discuss mobile demographics.

Recent Telephia research looked at mobile television, mobile audio, mobile games, retail sales of handsets, smartphone adoption, and residential use of cell phones.

May's MobileMonday DC event will look at these trends - and more.

So here's your chance to ask your burning questions! Help us set the agenda by sending your questions in advance to MobileMonday DC at kathielegg at mobilemonday dot net or juliegermany at mobilemonday dot net.

EVENT: "Run with the Numbers," an expert look at mobile phone user demographics and how these groups are using the technology.

WHEN: Monday, May 21, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Science Club DC
1136 19th Street NW Washington DC 20036

Farragut West Metro (Orange and Blue Lines), and Farragut North Metro or Dupont Circle Metro (Red Line)

COST: The event is free to the public. Members of the media are welcome to attend the event.

SPEAKER: Jerry Rocha, Telephia

RSVP: So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

--------

If you think your campus is wired, think again. It's 2007. And campus Wi-Fi, a land line in your dorm room, e-mail alerts are so late-90s. What if you could access all of your campus essentials - course outlines, campus directory, email, campus security, etc. - from your cell phone?

Rave Wireless develops a variety of programs and applications for colleges and universities. The event speaker, Raju Rishi, will discuss how students, campus groups, professors - and even campus security - can use mobile phones to make your college campus a more wired, safer place. Some of those programs include:

• A GPS-based application that enables students, faculty and staff to view the exact location of campus shuttle busses right on their mobile phone. No more waiting in the rain and snow, no more wondering if there's time to grab that cup of coffee before the bus arrives.
• Targeted blast text messages (e.g., safety alerts for a specific residence hall)
• University-created groups where members can participate in group text messaging and polls (e.g., Chess Club)
• Faculty-created groups (e.g., Chemistry 201) that enable students, faculty and staff to view course alerts on their mobile phones, so they never miss a course announcement, even when they are on-the-go. These groups also allow faculty to integrate survey questions into their lectures, to which the students can text message a response in class - those responses are automatically tabulated and provided as a web page for faculty member to display results real-time in class
• Student-created groups (e.g., road trip to the Final Four).
• School email on the phone.
• Student and staff directory.

EVENT: "Let Them Have Mobile Phones," a look at how Rave Wireless is using mobile phones to improve student affairs, campus housing, and academic coursework.

WHEN: Monday, April 16, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: GWU's Marvin Center, Room 309
800 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052 - Click here for a campus map

COST: The event is free to the public. Members of the media are welcome to attend the event.

SPEAKERS: Raju Rishi, COO co-founder, Rave Wireless

RSVP: So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

SPONSORS: GW's Student Association, Daily Colonial, & Rave Wireless

--------

Voting protection and integrity have come into question in past elections. We will never forget Florida in 2000 and the hanging chads debate. Working Assets took steps to protect voters from the same type of fiasco in 2006 through its Protect the Election initiative.

Working Assets asked volunteers to sign up to receive text messages on Election Day if an urgent issue arose in their geographical area. Volunteers were then prompted to take an action, such as a phone call.

EVENT: "Protecting Voting Rights One Text at a Time," a case study on how Working Assets used text messaging in the last election cycle.

WHEN: Monday, March 19, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Science Club DC
1136 19th Street NW Washington DC 20036

Farragut West Metro (Orange and Blue Lines), and Farragut North Metro or Dupont Circle Metro (Red Line)

COST: The event is free to the public. Members of the media are welcome to attend the event. Food and drink will be brought to you by Working Assets and the Science Club.

SPEAKERS: Becky Bond and Dan Droller from Working Assets and Jed Alpert from the Rights-Group.

RSVP: So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

SPONSOR: The first round of drinks is on the Science Club, our gracious host and food and drinks after that by Working Assets.

__________

About Beck Bond

Becky Bond is creative producer at Working Assets, a powerful citizen
action group and progressive mobile phone company that has raised over
$50 million for progressive causes since 1985. In 2006, she helped
launch Working Assets Mobile Action which enabled thousands of concerned
citizens to volunteer to protect the election using their mobile phones.
Becky leads Working Assets' nonpartisan civic engagement efforts and
online activism programs including a successful effort to register 1
million voters before the 2004 election and an online voter registration
program that has helped almost 500,000 people complete voter
registration forms via the Web since 2003. Becky has also launched
several media properties for Working Assets including a daily public
radio program and the progressive news site, WorkingForChange.com.

Dan Droller

Dan Droller manages mobile phone content for Working Assets, a
progressive mobile phone company that has raised over $50 million for
progressive causes since 1985. In addition to running the Working Assets
Mobile Action program, where citizens can use text messaging to effect
social change, Dan created the Working Assets Wireless ringtone store,
manages the home deck for all Working Assets Wireless phones, and helps
faciliate text programs for various non-profits partners. He is also the
co-founder of Music for America, a cultural organizing group founded in
the 2004 election to get young people involved in politics through
music. In addition to co-running MFA, he directed the music department
which held over 4000 concerts with over 300 artists over 3 years.

__________

See you there!
-Kathie

Believe it or not, network neutrality doesn't just affect your Internet connection. It can also affect your cell phone. As is often the case for any policy debate, there are two sides to every story:

Customers: It is frustrating for customers when they see a new phone, like the iPhone, but they are unable to purchase them because it is not supported on their carrier. They must either switch carriers or buy a different phone.

Networks: After spending millions and millions of dollars building their network, is it fair to force a carrier to open itself up to phones it does not support and that may compromise its network?

Join the debate and hear what the experts have to say this month at MobileMonday DC. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of opening up wireless networks and making them neutral.

EVENT: Mobile Monday DC (http://www.mobilemonday-dc.com/), the local chapter of a global movement of technology professionals, announces its February event, "Breaking Down the Walled Garden" on the pros and cons of Wireless Network Neutrality.

WHEN: Monday, February 26, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Science Club DC
1136 19th Street NW Washington DC 20036

Farragut West Metro (Orange and Blue Lines), and Farragut North Metro or Dupont Circle Metro (Red Line)

COST: The event is free to the public. Members of the media are welcome to attend the event.

SPEAKERS: Mike Altschul, CTIA
and Alex Curtis, Public Knowledge

RSVP: So we can have an idea on headcount, please RSVP: http://www.mobilemonday.net/mm/washingtondc/

SPONSOR: The first round of drinks is on the Science Club, our gracious host. (and just a little interesting fact about them... they have Wifi, so feel free to bring your Macs, PCs, or WiFi cabable phones).

__________

About Michael Altschul
Senior Vice President & General Counsel, CTIA

Altschul joined CTIA in 1990 after serving with the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice. Prior to that, he began his legal career as an attorney specializing in antitrust litigation with Simpson Thacher Bartlett in New York City.
As CTIA's General Counsel, Altschul is responsible for the Association's legal advocacy, CTIA's compliance with antitrust and other applicable laws, and he is an active participant in the development of the Association's public policy positions.

About Alex Curtis
Director of Policy and New Media for Public Knowledge

Alex Curtis is Director of Policy and New Media for Public Knowledge (aka PK), a Washington, DC based public interest organization that works on behalf of consumers and innovators at the intersection of copyright, telecommunications, and information policy. Before finding PK, Alex worked on Capitol Hill for United States Senators Mike DeWine and George V. Voinovich -- making DeWine the second U.S. Senator on the Internet by one day. He worked on legislative issues such as Broadband, Digital Online Music, and Open Access to cable networks, while at the Antitrust Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Alex graduated from Wake Forest University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He later earned his Juris Doctorate in 2001 from the University of Akron School of Law, where he focused on intellectual property.

The policy issues that PK is currently working on in telecommunications include net neutrality, repurposing of spectrum "white-spaces" for licensed and unlicensed use, and promoting broadband deployment. PK's intends to promote a positive copyright agenda in the 110th Congress, focusing on at least two key issues: orphan works and fair use limitations on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

The Global Peer Award Winner - Jury Favourite - REALEYES3D
The Global Peer Award Winner - Audience Favourite - PLAZES
The Global Peer Award Winner - Community Favourite - MOBILE COMPLETE

Get your official MoMoDC gear here, in our new store!

Rave Wireless has been nominated by the MobileMonday DC Chapter to compete in the 2007 Global Peer Awards in Barcelona, Spain.

Rodger Desai, president and chief executive officer of Rave Wireless, will be presenting at the company's many innovative services created for the youth of America. One feature service for colleges and university includes Rave Guardian. Rave Guardian is a mobile phone application available to students to use if and when they want. A student who feels unsafe can simply activate a timer on the mobile phone that alerts campus safety if it is not turned off within a set period of time. If the alarm goes off, campus safety will call the phone to ensure everything is all right. In the scenarios where there is no answer of there is a problem, Rave Guardian instantly displays the student's location along with any other pertinent information, such as medical conditions, photograph and local address. Since Rave Guardian uses the same GPS technologies as E911 emergency centers, students can use it on- or off-campus and anywhere in the U.S.

Global Peer Awards 2007 is a competition open to the best-in- breed start-ups who have demonstrated exceptionally innovative mobile technologies. Previously selected by MobileMonday local chapters, the companies will compete live before the community and a world-class jury to win the MobileMonday Global Peer Award title.

Among all the finalists three awards will be given: the 'Expert Jury Award' - sponsored by Reitek - will be assigned by the expert to the first global winner, the 'Audience Award' will be given by the audience to the second winner once the live SMS voting round is closed, while the 'MoMo Community Award' will be assigned by the MobileMonday chapter organizers to the third and final one.

via Colin Delany, e.politics.com

January's Mobile Monday meeting in D.C. featured a fascinating presentation on Republican employment of cell phones and SMS text messaging in the 2006 elections, with a lot more detail than we're usually able to get about on-the-ground use of this new (to the U.S.) political tool. Patrick Ruffini of the RNC discussed the committee's use of text and mobile video to inform and motivate supporters, and Mike Connell of Connell Donatelli went into great depth about the DeVos campaign for Michigan governor's foray into the world of mobile advocacy.

Patrick began the presentation with the RNC, which gathered "a few thousand" mobile activists as a start to building a 2008 election list by encouraging them to text a join message to a designated short code. The committee saw cell phones as a new channel to reach supporters with timely, topical messages, particularly as a supplement to more traditional email campaigns. The RNC could boost email open rates, for instance, by texting supporters that they had a particularly important note waiting for them while at the same time reinforcing the communications theme of the day. They found that they got more bang for the buck with SMS than with emails, since recipients were much less likely to ignore a text message (an effect that may diminish as text messages' novelty fades). Not surprisingly, text messages were particularly useful for day-before and day-of Get Out The Vote efforts.

The RNC also went beyond text in 2006, rolling out a mobile-friendly find-your-polling-place website. Looking further ahead, Patrick talked about the potential of the mobile web to deliver a rich media experience to activists wherever they are, and also pointed out the potential of mobile phone banking, with volunteers being able to enter response data from calls as they make them for a faster and smarter response.

Returning to the U.S., Mike talked about his company's work with the DeVos campaign in Michigan, where they rolled out a comprehensive mobile campaign to reinforce the candidate's desire to present himself as a cutting-edge leader. They used online advertising and a create-a-video contest (which also generated free media coverage) to drive supporters to a site where they could "Learn more on the go" by surrendering their cell numbers, as well as forward information to a friend via email, download wallpapers and screensavers and of course make a donation. The campaign also created a phone-friendly version of the site on the .mobi domain and employed some multimedia, including a 15-second GOTV message that also got local TV pickup and some national exposure. Mike was reluctant to divulge exactly how many people actually signed up to receive mobile messages, however.

Some lessons from the DeVos effort:

• Cell technology is still on the bleeding edge. Some strategies worked, others turned into a nightmare.
  
• Get a short code early! It can take some time.
  
• Commercial MMS tools are in their infancy. The campaign ended up having to build much of its own technology.
  
• Phone companies go to great lengths to stop spam. They tend to err on the side of caution, and your legitimate messages can get stopped.
  
• Phone-based donations can be a problem. Roughly half of each donation is siphoned-off by the providers, and a quirk in the DeVos campaign's setup prevented them from collecting money at all.
  
• Campaigns must understand the personal nature of mobile media. Cell phones are on your hip or in your pocket, and users are careful about whom they allow to intrude on such an immediate part of their lives. Don't abuse their trust -- be considerate in what you send.
  
• Make it easy for people to opt-in to your campaign. Just as with URLs, feature your "Text JOIN to [short code]" message EVERYWHERE, including print pieces, websites, email messages, events, press appearances, etc. Never miss a chance to recruit, and make sure that the joining process doesn't have unnecessary hiccups that will cut your numbers.
  

• The need to think beyond SMS and MMS, though there are limits to what providers will allow in the U.S., which leads to...
  
• The fact that the U.S. is far from the cutting edge of mobile technology. We should watch the rest of the world for innovations.
  
• Some other points that emerged from the question-and-answer session that followed the formal presentations:
  
• As with online video, campaigns must make mobile content that people WANT to consume. Viral spread can lead to mass media pickup.
  
• Campaigns need to make sure that supporters know about any fees that may apply to their participation in the campaign. Unexpected charges = bad publicity.
  
• Besides its employment in electoral campaigns, we'll see more and more use of mobile technology in the advocacy sphere, including "click-to-call-your-legislator" campaigns.
  
• Comitted activists are most likely to give cell numbers, not swing voters. Texting the uncommitted may matter more in primary elections, however.
  
• On a related note, mobile technology is most effective at activating volunteers to be more involved, not as a persuasive tool.
  
• It's also more likely to reach young voters, though this is likely to change as more people switch over to using a cell as their primary phone.
  

-Colin Delany, e.politics.com

Related:

Republican Mobile Activism in the 2006 Elections

MOMODC EVENT: THE ELEPHANTS GO TEXTING ONE BY ONE. HURRAH. HURRAH

Patrick Ruffini Speaking at Mobile Monday DC